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Ronda Rousey says loss to Holly Holm happened for a ‘reason’

Ronda Rousey had the first shocking defeat of her career at UFC 193. Former boxer Holly Holm did what nobody even thought would be possible: defeat Rousey.

Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey with a powerful sidekick that sent Rousey spiraling down the mat. Despite the embarrassing loss, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion believes that her loss to Holm happened for a “reason”.

Speaking at Reebok’s Luncheon for Inspirational Women, Rousey said that her loss to Holm helped her to evolve.

“Every single setback, it’s not the end of the world, it’s just the beginning of that lesson,” Rousey said, reports Bloody Elbow. “That had to happen for me to learn these certain things and it’s not about being completely infallible, it’s about getting better and there’s no room for improvement in perfect.”

The 29-year-old believes that the key lies in believing oneself.

“When it comes to challenges, I honestly believe that things happen for a reason. At the time yes it’s hard on a personal, emotional level and it’s hard to look past what’s happening to the future, but you have to believe in yourself because down the line in two, five, ten years’ time you’ll look back and think that was actually the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rousey added.

After her UFC 193 loss, Ronda was struggling with her emotions. Last month in her interview on The Ellen Degeneres show, she admitted to having suicidal thoughts. She also broke down on the show. The admission itself shocked everyone as Ronda is considered to be one of the toughest and strongest players. Even players like Mike Tyson and Brock Lesnar offered her support.

However, the one person who truly stood by and supported her was her boyfriend Travis Browne. She admitted that the thought of having kids with him is what kept her going.